Trial Through Fire
by NikkieSheepie
Summary: Its Torchwood's new doctor's first day at work and what an eventful one its set to be. SERIES follows 'Who? What? Why'
1. Business as usual

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Torchwood only the plots and Luciana belong to me.

**A/N:** Please comment and review, I can write better stuff if you tell me how to make it better! Most of all enjoy!

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Business as usual

"Run! Both of you!" yelled Jack as he covered his teams exit from the warehouse. The creature was worse then they had expected, pure evil, there was no way they'd stop it without some better equipment then three hand guns. Once he'd given Gwen and Ianto a head start he turned and followed his team through the door, closing it quickly behind him.

"What was that?!" asked Gwen as Jack slammed the door. She'd seen some weird stuff in her time at Torchwood, things most people couldn't possibly imagine but that about took the biscuit.

"No idea, ferocious would be one description." Replied Jack with his usual hint of humour. That was the thing about Jack, he managed to laugh in almost every situation, no matter how dire. In fact, Gwen wouldn't be particularly surprised if he'd cracked a few jokes while he was being tortured for information a few days ago.

"We should get there area sealed off before anyone else tries to go in there with that thing." Said Ianto matter of factly.

"Good idea. Gwen, can I leave you to talk to your buddies in the force and sort that out. Us two will get back to the hub and try and work out what to do about it. You alright getting a lift?"

Gwen smiled, for all his bossiness Jack honestly cared about his team, wanted them all safe. He did have a heart under that hard, often cold exterior. "Course, I'll get Andy to give me a lift. Don't you worry." She smiled as she pulled out her phone. "Hey, Andy…yeah, not too bad… I need a favour…"

Ianto was moving towards the SUV and Jack followed, getting into the drivers seat with Ianto beside him using a handheld computer to get things rolling. Jack started the engine and pulled away. After a couple of minutes silence Jack looked at Ianto, hard at work. The poor man needed a break but they were just too understaffed.

"Ianto, look, I never really got chance to ask. Are you OK? You know, after the hostage thing and all?"

Ianto nodded, he would much rather forget all that. The sound of his screams. Jack, the immortal man, screaming. It made him shiver to think about it.

"Really, if you need to talk about it…" started Jack, not finishing his sentence. It was one of those sentences that people never finished. Either they assumed the other person would know, or they didn't know how to finish it. Jack was experiencing both situations simultaneously. What should he say? 'I'm here for you.' 'You can always talk to me.' All possible outcomes seemed insignificant. He knew Ianto had been having nightmares since it had happened, he'd seen the young man tossing in his sleep, terrified, pinned to his sheets.

"I've looked into the archives and there's only one thing that even remotely matches the description of that thing but it was much smaller." Continued Ianto, he really didn't want to relive that day, talking wouldn't make things better.

"What?"

"There's no name on file, it was simply called 'The Beast'" a smile adorned Ianto's face briefly, "Inventive of them. Anyway, it sounds about right but was about a third of the size of that thing. Maybe we should call ours 'Big Beasty'."

"Mm, OK. When was that report filed?" asked Jack, smiling at the name Ianto had given the creature.

"Erm… hang on, yep. 78 Years ago almost to the day, by a Captain Jack Harkness. Any relation?" Ianto joked.

Jack smiled; Ianto knew full well who that was. He flung the SUV around a corner, nearly taking out a speed camera in the process. While the general public may thank him for it he knew the police department most certainly wouldn't. "Nope, never heard of him. Oh, like the name by the way. It's officially… official."

"That sentence started well, pity it ended so badly." Joked Ianto

Jack glanced at Ianto, it was nice to see him smiling again. "Its been a long week alright." He grinned his big cheesy grin and looked back to the road. The monitor Ianto held suddenly started bleeping madly. "Great, that's all we need. Where is it Ianto?"

Ianto tapped the screen a few times. "5 miles out in the bay. Only a tiny blip, it can wait till we get to the hub."


	2. First day

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Torchwood only the plots and Luciana belong to me.

**A/N:** Please comment and review, I can write better stuff if you tell me how to make it better! Most of all enjoy!

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First day

Luciana Makepeace walked into the Torchwood hub on her very first day of working there. Jack had asked her to come in early so he could show her around in peace and let her settle in before the day 'gets too hectic' to quote her new boss. She walked in through the rolling door and was greeted by a smiling Jack. If she didn't know better she never would have guessed what he went through just 3 days ago.

"Lu, good to see you. Welcome to Torchwood." Beamed Jack "There's not an awful lot I can tell you about this place. I'm afraid you'll just end up learning on the job." Jack showed her through to the autopsy room, Owen Harpers domain. "This will be where you probably spend a lot of your time. I'm afraid Owen was useless at paper work and the like so you'll probably have to hunt around to find any files. Ask Ianto, he normally knows where everything is."

Jack broke off. This was all a formality, he'd already shown their new doctor all this when she was last here. He looked down at the young girl; she was halfway between amazed and terrified. Utterly speechless but exhilarated. "That's it I guess, I showed you everything else last time. I'll leave you to settle in. Yell if you need anything." He smiled and turned to leave.

"Err..Jack…" started Luciana.

Jack turned back to face her.

"Thank you for all this. I really do appreciate it, everything you've done for me."

"No. Thank you. If it wasn't for you me and Ianto would still be strapped to those beds." Luciana opened her mouth to speak but Jack silenced her, "Don't go denying it Lu, you saved us. This is the least I can do for you. Besides, we need a doctor." Again Luciana went to speak but was silenced with a gesture from Jack. "You do deserve it." And with that he walked to his office and made himself at least look busy.

Luciana looked down into the autopsy room. As thrilled as she was by this job and no matter how much Jack insisted that she did deserve it she couldn't help but feel this was his way of repaying the debt.

She had begun to investigate the cupboards and other storage areas still trying to convince herself that she could handle this job when Ianto and Gwen arrived. Gwen immediately cornered Jack and grilled him about a creature they had found yesterday while Ianto headed straight for the coffee machine. Minutes later they were sitting in the boardroom, mugs of steaming coffee in front of them while Jack updated his team.

"Ok, so Gwen has already interrogated me about 'Big Beasty'" A puzzled look from Gwen provided an explanation, "That's what Ianto named the creature we found yesterday. So anyway, I worked out how to subdue it, me and Ianto went to fetch it and its now down in the vaults strongly sedated. So that's dealt with. Next on the agenda is the blip in the bay." Jack pressed a button on a device in the centre of the table changing the display on the screen behind him before continuing. "It hasn't moved yet and scans showed nothing on the surface so I think we can assume there's nothing to worry about there. When we get a spare moment we can go collect whatever it is."

Suddenly an alarm blared; something was coming through the rift. Ianto picked up the handheld he had placed on the table and quickly reported the readings to the team. "Its big whatever it is. Over in the wasteland, next to the disused warehouses."

"Right, come on then." Jack paused. "Wanna come see us in action Lu?" he asked the nervous girl. She nodded slightly. "Alright then, let's go guys!"

Minutes later, thanks to Jacks suicidal driving - really, it was a wonder they were all still in one piece - the team arrived at the wasteland. It didn't take them long to find the rift debris considering it was 6 feet high, 4 feet across and burning everything it touched.

Jack immediately attempted to take charge of the situation. "Spread out everyone but don't get too close." Gwen, Ianto and Luciana began to move around the flaming creature. "We mean you no harm but you can't stay here. We want to help you get back to where you came from."

Unfortunately this didn't have the expected effect on the creature. No questions, no demands, no reaction of any kind.

"I'm Captain Jack Harkness, you've managed to fall through what we call The Rift and wind up on our little planet."

Again, no reaction.

"If you let us help you we might be able to help you get home." Jack signalled for the team to advance slowly on the creature.

Cautiously Gwen and Ianto approached, guns at the ready, Luciana was much more hesitant, this was her first alien encounter after all. Unlucky for her the creature sensed this fear, she was the most scared of all of the surrounding forces, she was the best one to go for.

The creature rushed forwards, engulfing the newest member of the Torchwood team in flames.


	3. Scorched earth

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Torchwood only the plots and Luciana belong to me.

**A/N:** Please comment and review, I can write better stuff if you tell me how to make it better! Most of all enjoy!

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Scorched earth

Luciana stood dumbstruck as the flaming monster engulfed her. She couldn't have moved if she wanted to. She simply closed her eyes and hoped for the best.

***

"Crap!" yelled Jack as he saw the creature engulf his new doctor almost in slow motion. Instinct took over and he ran for Luciana, not knowing what he would do when he reached her, pull her aside perhaps, or push her to safety taking her place himself.

***

Ianto watched in horror as Jack ran for Luciana. While he knew he would be fine he also knew that being immortal didn't stop Jack feeling pain.

***

Gwen didn't see what was happening, she saw the creature move suddenly away from her, towards where she had last seen Luciana, then Jack yelled and flew at the creature. 'Luciana must still be in its way' she thought desperately as she ran towards the SUV, desperate to find something, anything that she could use as a weapon.

***

Luciana felt herself hit the ground as something pushed her down, landing on top of her, covering her, protecting her. The heat was immense and she knew that she would be literally frying alive where it not for the object protecting her.

***

Jack forced his way inside of the alien, through its viscose skin and into it's fiery inside. His aim had been true and he caught Luciana and forced her to the ground, covering her as best as he could with his own body. Being substantially larger in staure then the young girl this was relatively easy. Which was a blessing since he knew this thing brought death to everything it touched.

***

Gwen returned from the SUV with an industrial size fire extinguisher. Exactly why it was there she was unsure but at this moment in time it was a blessing. Even if it didn't kill the creature it might distract it enough for Jack and Luciana to escape. She pulled the trigger aiming the jet of pressurised liquid at the middle of the creature's body. Writhing, the alien turned leaving its prey behind. Focusing solely on Gwen.

The only word which sprang to her mind was "Shit!"

***

Ianto managed to bring the world back into focus in his mind as Gwen began distracting the monster. He saw it leave Jack and Luciana sprawled on the scorched earth and head for Gwen. A thought suddenly occurred to Ianto, the creature was made of fire and the best way to tackle fire is to cut off its oxygen supply. The portable prison cell forced its way to the front of Ianto's mind and he ran for the SUV, hoping desperately that he'd find one inside.

Rummaging around the boot he finally found what he was looking for. Praying that it was fully charged he threw the alien technology at the fiery creature and it was soon engulfed in the inflatable cell, hopefully burning up its oxygen supply.


	4. Needing a doctor

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Torchwood only the plots and Luciana belong to me.

**A/N:** Please comment and review, I can write better stuff if you tell me how to make it better! Most of all enjoy!

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Needing a doctor

Gwen breathed a sigh on relief as Ianto's plan worked, after all, she had no idea what she was planning to do after successfully distracting the alien. Slowly the alien shrunk in size, it was burning up its limited oxygen inside the portable cell, soon the last sparks of fire were extinguished and the cell, sensing nothing to imprison turned itself off.

Ianto had stopped watching the creature as soon as he'd seen the cell inflate around it. He'd run straight to where Jack and Luciana were lying, Jack no more then a burnt corpse but of course, he'd be OK. Luciana was the most important person right now. Ianto pulled Jack's body off of the small doctor as Gwen reached him, immediately she set to work examining Luciana.

"Shock I'd say. Doesn't look like she's seriously hurt but we better get her back to the hub sharpish just to make sure."

Ianto nodded in reply to Gwen's analysis of the situation, cradling Jack in his arms. Before long the impossible man would gasp as he was pulled back into life once again and Ianto knew it would be easier for him to know someone was there. Ianto would be there.

***

Back at the hub and two bodies where laid out in the autopsy room. On one table the unconscious body of Luciana Makepeace, on the other, the still dead body of Jack Harkness. Ianto sat next to Jack his hand resting on Jacks right shoulder, waiting for that awful moment when Jack would gasp for air as life filled his body.

A nervous wait later and Luciana's eyelids began to flicker. Her breathing deepened as she began to regain consciousness. Gwen was at her side in seconds.

"Lu? Luciana? Come on girl…" She said softly as she shook the young woman gently in an effort to rouse her.

Luciana opened her eyes slowly, blinking as the light reflecting off the white tiled walls filled her vision. Then panic set in. she had no idea where she was. Looking around franticly the first thing she saw was Jacks body lying on the bed near her, obviously dead.

"Hey, hey! Its ok. Relax." cooed Gwen, her hands resting gently on Luciana's shoulders as she struggled to get her brain and body working again.

The medic's eyes snapped to the figure leaning over her. A kind face, a gentle smile, obvious concern for her. She relaxed. Finally Luciana's mind began to catch up with her surroundings. She did know where she was, this was the Torchwood hub and the kind welsh woman looking after her was… Gwen, yes, Gwen Cooper. A small sigh escaped Luciana's lips as her world began to make sense once again.

Gwen smiled, it can't be easy waking up in a strange place after being attacked by an alien. What a first day! Even hers wasn't this bad, even is she had let the orgasm cloud alien thing escape. That came under a different heading entirely, disastrous perhaps.

"We couldn't find anything physically wrong with you but then, neither me nor Ianto are doctors." Said Gwen, indicating to Ianto as she mentioned him

Luciana nodded as she sat up uncertainly with a supporting hand from Gwen, "What about Jack?" She asked nervously.

"No sign yet, sometimes it takes a while though, he'll be fine."


	5. Lifeboat

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Torchwood only the plots and Luciana belong to me.

**A/N:** Please comment and review, I can write better stuff if you tell me how to make it better! Most of all enjoy!

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Lifeboat

A few hours later and Luciana was fussing around Jack. Both Gwen and Ianto knew how guilty she was feeling but the truth was that Jack would have done that for any of them, he had already and wouldn't hesitate to do so again. They left the girl to do what made her feel comfortable. She obviously felt the need to do something, anything to bring her saviour back from the dead.

Luciana's heels clicked gently as she came up from the autopsy room and headed for the couch at the side of the hub. She delved into her handbag and pulled out a half empty packet of painkillers. Gwen looked at her with suspicion in her eyes.

"I swear I've seen you take too many of them already." She said semi sternly. Presumably Luciana knew better then her how many she could take before she took an overdose. Gwen was one for following instructions carefully but she did know that the drugs companies very careful about specifying a lower limit then true for the overdose threshold.

Luciana looked at Gwen questioningly. "I have? It doesn't seem like it. My head's still thumping."

"Maybe you should have a lie down. Go home and get some rest. Jack'll forgive you, he'll come back to us when the time is right. Always does."

The younger woman nodded. "Yeah, maybe." She lent down and picked up her coat, put it on and then collapsed.

Gwen was at the girl side in seconds. "Lu? You alright girl? Ianto! Give me a hand!" She yelled to the Welshman who was currently standing watching over his boss.

Luciana's eyes opened immediately as Gwen turned back to her. "Oh, my head." She grumbled in a tone that sounded unmistakably like…No. Anything was possible in this job but that was taking things a little too far.

"Gwen? Why am I lying on the hub floor?"

"Jack?!" Spluttered Gwen

"…Yeah…what?"

"You're… you…" Gwen was falling over her words.

"He's in Luci..?" asked Ianto uncertainly.

"What _are_ you two on about?" asked Jack as he stood up. It was then that he noticed the heels, the tight jeans, the delicate hands, the breasts. "O…K… This is a first."

***

Jack was leaning over his own body in the autopsy room. "Can't say I've ever looked at myself like this before." He joked, receiving a stern look from Gwen.

"Jack, really, what's going on?" she asked without changing her expression,

Jack knew that expression all too well. She used that exact tone of voice on him whenever she felt he needed reminding about people. That was part of her job description so he let her off for it.

He sighed. "I really don't know. At best Lu is acting as a temporary home for my consciousness, like a life boat. Sit in it until you get rescued." Receiving understanding nods from the others he continued, "At worst I'm stuck her permanently."

"So what do you think?" asked Ianto. If Jack was permanently stuck Ianto wasn't quite sure he'd ever get used to it. His boss, his lover, a woman? Not only a woman but a teenager at that!

"I think. I think that alien was scared, trying to communicate. I felt him just before…" He let his sentence hang. "He was trying to talk to me only he didn't realise that he was killing me. When he did realise it was too late. He sensed Luciana was still alive and tried to save me by placing my consciousness in her body."

"What about her though? Is she still in there?"

Jack nodded. "She's here, I can feel her. She'd been suppressed, while I'm at the surface she's suppressed, when she's in control I'm suppressed. Unfortunately that kind act was unnecessary and has generally screwed things up a bit."


	6. Problem

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Torchwood only the plots and Luciana belong to me.

**A/N:** Please comment and review, I can write better stuff if you tell me how to make it better! Most of all enjoy!

**When I talk of Jack/Luciana they are both still in the body of Luciana unless specified otherwise.**

Problem

Nearly a day had passed since Jack had become trapped in the mind of his female co-worker and as hard as he had tried some things where just impossible for him not to notice. Being in the body of a woman had obviously caused amusement to being with but now it was just aquward. Not that Jack minded so much, he was just pretty sure that Luciana might object when she realised what her boss would have been able to do if he had wanted.

Jack had been constantly racking his…Luciana's brain trying to think of something, anything that would help. Unfortunately the only possible solution he could think of was an incredibly dangerous one. He'd have to talk to Gwen and Ianto about it, see what they thought.

Jack walked out of his office and over to where Ianto and Gwen where working, Jack had insisted that they try and be as normal as possible about the situation. Upon his arrival he dragged over a chair and sat facing his team.

"I need your opinions on this." He began, unsure of what their reactions would be. "I've thought of a way of possibly reversing this only, it's dangerous."

Gwen and Ianto sat passively, waiting for Jack to finish, dangerous it may be but how dangerous was dangerous exactly?

"If, if we hook my body an..." Jack stopped mid sentence. His eyes glazed over and his head fell forwards onto his chest.

"Jack?" Asked Gwen anxiously, moving to the side of the body containing her boss to steady it and prevent it falling off of the chair.

Moments later Luciana's beautiful blue eyes where revealed again. A slight groan escaped her lips. "Gwen?" asked the voice of a frightened young woman. Jack had gone, along with his idea.

"Yeah, I'm here sweetheart. Have you got any idea what happened?"

"No. What's happened?" she asked worried.

Ianto rose from his chair. "I'll go make some coffee while you explain Gwen."

'Thanks' mouthed Gwen sarcastically as Ianto left her to try and explain the unexplainable.

***

Luciana sat on a stool besides the body of her new boss. Head in her hands she sat thinking. Gwen had said something out Jack being suppressed while she was in control so either she had to find a way to let him through so he could sort this out or she'd have to work out a way of doing it herself. What wasn't helping her situation was the thumping headache caused by sharing her mind with Jack.

She wandered up to the main level of the hub and sat down at a computer, opened up the Torchwood cataloguing system and began looking through. Exactly what she was looking for she wasn't sure but she had a niggling feeling that there was definitely something here worth a try. She stopped for a second, thinking, then proceeded to skip to item 2846, why she wasn't sure, it just seemed like a good number.

Gwen walked up behind the girl and placed her hands gently on her shoulders. "You know, you really should rest. You're going to collapse before long."

Luciana shook her head, "As long as Ianto keeps supplying the coffee I'll be fine. I once spent 49 hours straight awake to finish a project, literally running off caffeine."

Gwen shook her head slightly, she knew the medic was pushing herself far too hard but she also knew she'd be doing exactly the same thing. She glanced at the computer monitor as Luciana flicked through the catalogue of alien artefacts, half registering what she was looking at until she saw something.

"Wait, go back one." She said grabbing Luciana's hand to stop her clicking further ahead.

Obliging Luciana backed up one artefact. Hearing a sharp intake of breath behind her she turned to look at the older woman. Why was she so shocked?

"Ianto!" Gwen yelled. "Get here quick!"

Ianto appeared from Jack's office where he had been looking through the paper work strewn all over his desk in the hope of finding something useful. When he saw what was on the screen he too gasped. Artefact 2872, a pair of Tekeneze mind probes.


	7. Risk

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Torchwood only the plots and Luciana belong to me.

**A/N:** Please comment and review, I can write better stuff if you tell me how to make it better! Most of all enjoy!

* * *

Risk

"I dunno, bit risky isn't it?" Said Ianto uncertainly.

"I know, I know… but it's all we've got…"

"Maybe we should wait for Jack…"

The pair considered the idea of using the mind probes in the privacy of Jack's office while Luciana continued looking through the archives, hoping desperately to find something to sort this mess out. Why did it have to be her that ended up with the boss stuck in her head?! This had to go down as one of the worst first days in the history of first days. Not only did she nearly get killed but she ends up being the subject of a huge problem. She groaned and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes.

Gwen and Ianto continued to discuss the pros and cons of using the devices, pro, if it didn't sort it out they would at least give a clearer picture of what was going on, con, last time they were used back in 1974 the report said that one of the pair using them ended up with serious brain damage.

Gwen was still trying to argue her case, "It only says one of the pair, it's a 50/50 chance…"

"Yes, but we don't know what happened to the other person, they were never mentioned…" replied Ianto who was by this time strongly against using the mind probes.

Gwen put her head in her hands and sighed. Why must it be Jack who was stuck, he was the only person who had any idea on how to sort this out but the chances of being able to speak to him again looked remote.

Gwen looked up and was about to say something about a small test, not a full power run when a loud crash was heard from the main hub. The pair looked at each other for approximately half a second before rushing out to see what the cause of the noise was. What they discovered made up their minds as to what they would have to do, at least in the short term.

Luciana lay sprawled on the floor next to the desk she was sitting at, the paraphernalia from the desk strewn on the floor around her. Once again she'd been rendered unconscious as her mind struggled to cope with two consciousnesses forced into the space of one.

Gwen took control as she often did when Jack was missing, a natural leader, "Ianto, help me get her onto that bed," she said, indicating the empty bed in the autopsy room, " then get down to the archives and find those mind probes. We've got to at least give them a trial run."

Ianto gave a slight nod as he picked up the teenager and carried her down to the medical bay where Gwen was hurriedly clearing various objects from the bed before hurrying down to the storage areas.

He returned with a large cardboard box with Tekeneze Mind Probe written clearly on the side. He quickly opened the box to find a piece of paper placed carefully on top of the probes, a piece of paper with familiar handwriting.

_Tekeneze Mind Probes_

_Caution_

_I have carried out extensive research on these probes and have come to the conclusion that they are not safe for use._

_The second probe has a flaw which is what caused the damage in the initial testing._

_Jack Harkness_

"Well, there goes that plan then." Said Ianto with a hint of sadness in his voice.

Gwen placed a hand on his arm, "We'll get him back, its not like we don't know where he is. We know he's alright." She gave Ianto's arm a quick squeeze before replacing the paper in the box and sealing it up again.

A low groan was heard from the bed behind them. "Gwen, Ianto?"


	8. Plan B

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Torchwood only the plots and Luciana belong to me.

**A/N:** Please comment and review, I can write better stuff if you tell me how to make it better! Most of all enjoy!

* * *

Plan B?

Ianto sighed a little, as glad as he was that Luciana was OK, he desperately wanted to hear Jacks voice, even for a minute, maybe then he could finish explaining his idea and this whole mess could be sorted out. He moved to the doctor's side and gave her a little smile to reassure her. "We're working on it, don't you worry." He was putting on a brave face for her, even if he didn't quite believe it himself.

Gwen signalled to Ianto that she needed to speak with him and the two left the young woman to get her bearings again. "So, what's plan b then? Any ideas?"

Ianto shook his head. Of all the things he'd catalogued and arranged down in the archives he couldn't think of a single one which would be of any use. He slumped down into the chair behind him and buried his head in his hands. He felt so useless, so totally incapable. Aside from being his boss, Jack was his lover and he was supposed to do everything he could to protect him. A fat lot of good he was being at the moment.

"Hey, Ianto, It'll be ok..." said Gwen sympathetically, placing a hand on the Welshman's shoulder. She knew how hard Ianto was taking the situation, his rock had vanished. Ianto needed Jack more then her or Tosh or Owen ever did. She looked down into the autopsy room and saw Luciana staring at Jack once again, desperate to make things right again, a young woman in an alien environment. Gwen knew she needed to be the leader at the moment but it was just so damn hard.

Luciana picked up Jack's hand, ice cold, just as she expected it to be. She cradled it gently in her hands as she desperately tried to dig deeper into her mind. If what Gwen had told her was true then Jack was in there somewhere, maybe if she thought about it hard enough and willed him to come forward… it was wishful, she knew that but it was still worth a try.

She replaced Jack's hand next to his body before grabbing a stool from the other side of the room to sit on. Placing her elbow on the bed and her head in her hands she began to will Jack forward, calling for him to take control.

Ianto stood in the doorway of the autopsy room and watched as the new medic concentrated on something intently. Sighing a little he moved away, not wanting to disturb her in case she was onto something. He returned to the computer she had vacated to finish looking through the archives for anything helpful, preferably not broken.

Gwen by this time had wandered into her boss's office, maybe he'd written something when he was here earlier. She felt sure that Ianto would have checked through the paperwork on Jack's desk but a fresh pair of eyes was always good, maybe he'd missed something. She shuffled through reports, pages of notes on artefacts, the odd letter, she may even have found a shopping list. She stopped to read one sheet of paper briefly.

_Gwen, Ianto and Luci,_

_I'm working on it. I've got a few ideas but nothing is certain._

_Jack_

"That's all he wrote?!" exclaimed Ianto, "He didn't think telling us anything would be a good idea then?"

"Hey! Don't yell at me Ianto!" replied an annoyed Gwen, the phrase 'don't shoot the messenger' sprang to mind. "At least we know that he's got some sort of idea."

Luciana clutched Ianto's arm unexpectedly causing him to jump slightly. "Ianto…" she begged as he legs gave out beneath her. Still clutching at his arm Ianto gently guided her to the floor leaning against the wall. For a few seconds she done nothing but look at an unfocused world but as she passed out for the forth time that day she said something which gave everyone hope. "He's coming."


	9. Returning

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Torchwood only the plots and Luciana belong to me.

**A/N:** Please comment and review, I can write better stuff if you tell me how to make it better! Most of all enjoy!

* * *

Returning

Jack was back to being his usual bossy self despite being trapped in the body of a much younger, female co-worker. The fact that Jack was acting in his usual cockily confident manner made the situation all the more bizarre.

"Ok, so, I didn't figure out a way to end all this..." began Jack, Ianto and Gwen looked visibly disappointed, "but I've got a few theories. First, let's hook me, us, up to that EEG machine and see what's going on once and for all."

The EEG showed exactly what Jack had hoped for. Two clearly different brain activities, totally separate, one active, the other in a coma like state. Next he used the machine to check the brain activity in his own body, again Jack saw what he had hoped for, no signals, his body was completely devoid of any life signs.

Gwen and Ianto looked on as Jack analysed his results. "But what exactly does this all mean Jack?" asked Ianto eventually.

"This means that provided we can work out how, transferring me back is going to be a reasonably simple operation. Me and Luci are totally separate, we don't need to worry about her coming with me or anything complicated like that." replied Jack, looking like a child who had received the best gift in the world for Christmas.

"But you haven't actually worked out what to do yet?" asked Gwen

"No."

"What about that idea you had last time you were here. You said it was dangerous but it was an idea…"

"Too dangerous for Luciana."

Ianto felt ready to scream. He'd been waiting for Jack to come along and solve everything like he normally did. "You said you had an idea though! We've been waiting for you!" screamed Ianto before storming away. Ianto hadn't meant to shout, he'd only lashed out at Jack to have an excuse to leave before anyone saw his tears.

Gwen glanced at Jack, she knew exactly how Ianto was feeling, hell, she felt exactly the same right now. Her eyes portrayed this was she followed Ianto out of the Autopsy room.

Jack looked at his body lying on the bed, wishing there was a handy piece of technology kicking around he could magic everything better. It was then that a possible solution hit him. Maybe they had been looking at this all wrong, maybe they didn't need technology. How stupid he'd been! Jack knew that he had life to give away, on Gwen's first day he'd given some of that life to Carys, through a kiss. He slammed his fist onto the bed in frustration, that wasn't going to work; his immortality was connected to his body, not Luciana's.

***

Gwen found Ianto slumped on the sofa at the side of the hub, distraught. She sat next to him and waited for him to talk to her.

"It's typical Jack isn't it? He says one thing but means another. I wish he didn't shut us out all the time." Gwen nodded, encouraging Ianto to get it off his chest. "It just so frustrating, he said he had a solution but then he changes his mind, all the while he's stuck in Luci's body leaving everything down to us. I mean, what are we supposed to do? He's got so many secrets about himself, about Torchwood." Ianto sighed and gave Gwen a small smile of thanks.

"He'll be OK. You know Jack, he's always got a way out."

Ianto nodded and looked down into the autopsy room. He could see Jack, searching for a solution. It wasn't his fault, this wasn't supposed to happen. In all of Jack's life times Ianto doubted that he'd ever encountered a situation quite like this one. As he watched Jack turned and met his eye, Ianto allowed a small smile to pass across his face which Jack returned before beckoning both him and Gwen down into the autopsy room.


	10. The kiss

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Torchwood only the plots and Luciana belong to me.

**A/N:** Please comment and review, I can write better stuff if you tell me how to make it better! Most of all enjoy!

* * *

The Kiss

"I've had one idea, it's a long shot though. Just bear with me on this OK?" Gwen and Ianto nodded, eager to try any possible solution. Jack stood next to his body, looking down on it almost as if he was analysing every last inch. "You remember your first day Gwen, when we where trying to save that girl, Carys, because the alien inside her needed energy." Gwen nodded, "I gave her part of my life energy when I kissed her. I think that maybe, just maybe, the same thing might work here. The only problem is that that energy is linked to my body, not my consciousness."

Gwen rested her hand gently on Jacks hand as he finished explaining. "Just give it a go, you never know, miracles happen."

"It's a hell of a long shot, I'm really not expecting anything from this but if something does happen, well, I trust you two will sort things out. Hopefully everything will go smoothly."

Gwen smiled, "Stop procrastinating and get on with it, we wont know until you try will we?"

Jack nodded and stood next to his body, looking fondly down on it he positioned himself next to his head and lent down, kissing his own lips gently, a phenomenon which even he was a stranger to. He hovered over his lips after the tender kiss for a few seconds before standing up again with a sigh. Gwen and Ianto were not expecting what happened next.

Gwen was forced to catch the doctor's body as it went limp and fell towards the floor while at the same time Ianto jumped into action as Jack's body gasped for life once again, bolting upright, arms reaching for something, someone to hold.

"Jack, Jack, you're alright Jack." soothed Ianto as he allowed himself to be pulled close to the body of his boss. Hugging him close he breathed a sigh of relief, perhaps everything would be alright after all.

Gwen in the mean time was laying Luciana on the floor trying desperately to wake her as she did so, they wouldn't know for certain until both her and Jack were talking, preferably having conversations with each other just to prove they were separate once again.

Jack sat up on his bed, supported by a nervous Ianto, "Is she alright?" he asked, worried why there was no noise from beside him other then Gwen's attempts to rouse the doctor.

"Dunno yet, give her some time." replied Gwen glancing at 'her boys' quickly before turning back to Luciana.

A few minutes later Luciana awoke to find three relieved faces peering back at her. He first though was 'What're they looking at?' shortly followed by, "Jack!" she yelled as she flung her arms around his neck and hugged him.

Jack smiled, "Yep, I'm back… you can let go now, I'm real, I promise."

"Hallucinations always say that." Luciana chuckled as she lay down again, suddenly feeling rather ill.

"You alright Lu?" asked Ianto as he noticed Luciana closing her eyes and breathing deeply.

"Yup, fine, just a head rush. Nothing to worry about. Finally."


	11. Normality

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Torchwood only the plots and Luciana belong to me.

**A/N:** Please comment and review, I can write better stuff if you tell me how to make it better! Most of all enjoy!

* * *

Normality

"You know, I never asked about that accent of yours." said Jack casually as he and Luciana walked into his office, closing the door behind them.

"What do you mean?" asked Luciana, unsure of her bosses meaning.

"Where's it from? I can't quite place it."

"Oh, right," smiled the doctor, "It's from everywhere really, I was born in Scotland, moved down near London when I was about 4 then moved over here for university. I've always picked up accents quickly though, if I talk to a scot for long enough my Scottish roots come out, over here I'm normally a little more Welsh."

Jack nodded, "Explains a lot, your accent reminded me a little of our last Doctor, Owen, he was from the London area but I can definitely hear welsh vowels mixed with a Scottish twinge."

"I'm just missing Ireland then I'll have the full set." joked Luciana making Jack laugh a little.

"On a more serious note, are you sure you're Ok? I'd send you to see the doctor but, you are the doctor…" Jack changed his demeanour slightly, becoming the obvious boss of the situation. Receiving a nod from the woman in front of him he changed his tune once again to one of excitement. "Good, because there's something you need to learn." And with that he rose from his seat and lead Luciana to Torchwoods personal firing range.

Expecting a shocked face behind him Jack turned quickly upon entering the tunnel in order to reassure the young doctor but found a totally different expression waiting for him. Contented recognition, there was something Jack didn't know about Luciana Makepeace and it worried him slightly. "You don't seem particularly shocked by the concept of holding a gun." He said carefully.

Luciana shook her head. "I've shot before, not a hand gun but I've shot a bolt action .22 and a semi automatic L98." She stated before quickly elaborating, "I used to be in the cadet force when I was a kid, was pretty good with the rifles."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "There's a lot left to learn about you. I just need to find the right questions by the look of things." He moved towards a table and loaded a pistol, beckoning Luciana over as he did so. "Put some glasses on." He instructed. Once she had done so Jack handed her the pistol, "Safety's off. Aim for the furthest left target and show me what you can do."

Jack was left speechless as he watched each and every round hit the target, almost half of them being fatal shots. He was officially impressed. "You know, I came down here with the pretence of teaching you to shoot. Doesn't look like there's much for me to do really!"

A smirk adorned the doctor's face; Jack had always struck her as the sort of man it was hard to impress. To be perfectly honest, what was more impressive then coming back from the dead? "Am I a bit good then?" she joked.

"Just a bit." Came the reply. Jack smiled, it had been a long time since Torchwood had found an employee quite as knowledgeable as Luciana; normally recruits were normal people who had ended up in an extraordinary situation and not freaked out too much.

"So this is 'normal' Torchwood then? Secret Sci-Fi super base, firing range in the cellar?"

Jack laughed, "Totally normal, doesn't get much more normal then this around here. Which, admittedly isn't particularly normal by most people's standards but still, normality for us means different things."

Luciana nodded, she understood completely, most people worried about the weather, Torchwood worried about what the Rift could spit at them. Rather extraordinary to most people but she was no longer one of the crowd. She was privy to some of the world's biggest secrets.

Jack was clearing away the guns and ammo while Luciana contemplated her new situation. She'd survived her first day at work which, according to Gwen, was similar to most peoples first days at work, nothing ever went smoothly at Torchwood. She snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed a hand waving in front of her face.

"Pizza?" Asked Jack with a grin.

Yup, this was normal day at the Torchwood office.

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**A/N  
**I would appreciate any feedback on this story you are willing to give, especially concerning Luciana's character (i.e, is she too over the top/perfect, do you want to know more about her background/in general)  
The next story in the series **New Recruit** is currently work in progress and I hope to begin uploading in the near future (I wont promise how long as it is liable to change).

If you have any ideas then please send me a message and I'll see about including them (my imagination is far from endless, I will run out of ideas eventually)

Hope you enjoyed reading my work! :)


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